The tone and timbre of women's speech

It is startling how much the ancient model of misogyny chimes with modern times. Not a day goes by without a male – and sometimes female – troll accusing me of “whingeing and whining” when I express views on current affairs. The mockery of female voices – Beard points out – is evident throughout Roman legend: there’s Philomela, whose tongue was ripped out to prevent her speaking of the rape she endured; Io, the mortal lover of Jupiter who mooed instead of speaking after being turned into a cow; as well as scientific treatises aligning low-pitched voices with courage, and high-pitched voices with cowardice. “Classical writers insisted that the tone and timbre of women’s speech always threatened to subvert not just the voice of the male orator but also the social and political stability, the health, or the whole state”, writes Beard. Sounds familiar.

 Afua Hirsch, The problem with a name.